Sustainable universities and the transition to net zero: lessons on insetting from the University of Edinburgh

Higher education institutions around the world now recognise the twin climate change and biodiversity loss crises as amongst the most pressing issues facing humanity in the twenty-first century. The University of Edinburgh adopted a ‘Net Zero by 2040’ target in 2016 and a university-owned carbon sequestration programme commenced in 2021 to manage the unavoidable emissions associated with aviation from University business travel and wider student travel to and from the University. The programme was also designed to secure wider community commitment including learning and teaching strategies and long-term research benefits. Five years on, this paper sets out the underlying logic and principles behind the approach, set within the context of climate and biodiversity action more broadly. The paper also examines common criticisms posed in the academic literature concerning carbon sequestration programmes, ‘offsets’ and ‘insets’, and the authors’ and institution’s responses to those challenges.